A/N: Really. Uhm...it's just that I'm pretty disappointed. Well, -pretty- might not be the best adjective for it...so let's just say I'm disappointed. Guys! What happened to you people? My reviewers? You've all gone on vacation or what...? -sighs- So very few reviews...

Moving on...

Sorry for the delay, got caught up in the wonder that is college...gah. And also, I'm very, very irritated; my English prof gave me a barely passing grade on one of my essays! -bares teeth- But hate is not a good thing, so maybe I'll torch the offending essay later. Hm.

Disclaimer: I'm not writing this if I owned Kingdom Hearts, right?

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XIV: Duty

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"No way in hell."

"Yes way in hell," the Superior said firmly, fixing him with a glare to rival (but not overcome) Roxas' Look. Axel squirmed.

What started as a perfectly normal (normal for a Nobody's standards, that is) day had turned into a perfectly horrible day. Why? (a) He had to witness Sora sticking a glass shard into his palm, thus resulting in a very blood-spattered coat, which meant the third ruined coat in the span of two days, (b) Marluxia had told him that he had caught Ienzo and Arlene in the act of taking over, (c) he was craving for another ginger ale right now, and (d) worst of all, number One had suddenly decided to make him, Zexion, and Larxene actually teach in Destiny Academy.

Axel dearly wanted to summon his chakram and shut the Superior up, but that wouldn't look good on his teaching credentials, right? Injured colleague; left him in hospital for a month.

Grrr.

"I am not teaching a bunch of runts elemental spellcasting, Superior. So not," he huffed, crossing his arms.

Xemnas narrowed his eyes. "Very well then...Zexion?"

The blue-haired scientist tilted his head in acknowledgement. "Yes, Superior?"

"You and Larxene are set then on permanent recon over Destiny Academy--keep an eye on Roxas and Naminé, and on Kairi and Riku, and all the other suspicious characters there. Gather info on Somebody Magic and tactics...and Zexion. Stay close to Larx--"

"All right, all right, I'm going!" Axel groaned loudly. As much as he disliked teaching, there was absolutely no way he's going to leave Larxene alone with the cause of her reverting. He had a sneaking suspicion that Xemnas set them up. "But why can't Marluxia go too?" he whined.

"Marluxia, hm," Xemnas stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Good point...Well, he has specifically requested time to quantify the number of flora he has in his garden..." Which, in Xemnas-speak, said that "Marluxia hasn't gotten off his lazy butt and I'm not going to waste my time trying to make him move".

Grrrrr again.

"Well, off you go then," he said suddenly, gaze straying to the limited-edition Sea-Salt ice cream promotional clock mounted above his desk. "Class starts soon; I've already made the arrangements for the...positions to be open and ready for you. Remember; people are suspicious of black coats."

"Okay," Larxene said, getting to her feet and letting her blonde hair fall gracefully to her waist. "Axel, Zexion, let's go already and get this day over with..."

Larxene had protested vehemently, and Axel saw good reason in that: oh come on, she was a sadist and she was supposed to teach Healing Arts? Gah! And even worse, she conceded when Zexion accepted the fact that he would be teaching Lifestream Physics! Argh!

He had tried every argument--it would be fine with Roxas and Naminé, but what about Kairi and Riku? What if Riku saw Zexion? Most likely the Wielder would attack him on sight!

Xemnas, however, had easily explained that. Roxas and Naminé had told Riku about Sora and Organization XIII's freedom, and the platinum-haired boy had promised not to tell Kairi, for the fear that she might just go and hunt for Sora herself. That promise bound Riku not to attack Zexion, since that would reveal the Order's reexistence to Kairi.

Axel himself didn't understand why Riku promised that...he never understood Somebodies (not that he wasn't one) anyway.

Okay, but what if Kairi saw him?

Easily explained once again! Aside from the fact that he was to teach in the next level higher than the Princess's, he was supposed to avoid being seen by the girl. Ha. What a teaching experience. So he had to find out the redhead's schedule and try to avoid her. Yeah...a very nice way to spend the day. He could've enjoyed giving Roxas and Naminé detention, though.

"...Axel?" Larxene was suddenly peering up at him, emerald eyes bright.

Uh? Green eyes? Larxene had blue eyes, the last time he remembered. She was reverting. All the more reason to take this stupid job and get Zexion's hands off her.

Speaking of which...she and the blue-haired Emo Kid were holding hands. He hissed at Zexion, and he let go--

...only to put an arm around her shoulders as he summoned a portal.

This was going to be impossible.

------------------------

Lexaeus whirled around, and threw his tomahawk at the brunette standing before him...which, unsurprisingly, he dodged without even looking. Feh. This boy had potential. Well, screw potential--he had kicked all of the Order's butts, save for his and Zexion's. That was when the Wielder was, uh, still human. What now when he had turned a very lethal combination of Heartless and Nobody?

"Wielder? You okay?" he asked, seeing the boy staring at his own arm in dismay. It seemed that his bandage was unraveling, judging from the long strip of white that was practically grazing the floor.

Sora stopped short, shaking his head slightly. Five watched, fascinated, as he unceremoniously tore the strip of gauze wrapped around his brilliantly seared arm (courtesy of Axel) without even flinching. Blood slowly dripped down his fingers.

"Good lord," he said loudly, "Why did you take that off?"

He turned around and faced him; Lexaeus forced himself not to recoil. The image of merged Heartless and Nobody still bothered him--seeing a pair of sickly yellow eyes, he was used to, but the combination of normal brilliant sky-blue eye with pale yellow one? It just looked wrong. "I can't fight with something hanging off my arm like this!"

He snorted derisively. "It's a miracle you can even fight with your arm like that, Sora."

It was heart-warming and blood-freezing at the same time to see the Wielder grin.

He had taken to teaching the boy how to take full advantage of being a Nobody--from resistance to injury to the use of the Corridors (in which Sora had major problems--he didn't seem to be able to concentrate long enough to summon a portal). It was, to tell the truth, frightening, the way Sora had the best of both Heartless and Nobody. For one thing, the Wielder's complete numbness to pain was unnerving.

Seeing that Sora had taken into staring off into space once again, he attacked. Keyblade Masters weren't exactly known for their carelessness, but the boy seemed to get distracted more than usual. "You need to work on your left side," he called, swiping his tomahawk, "you always leave it open."

The boy, in an inhuman feat of agility, easily flipped over him and rebounded, landing behind him. But Five was not a trifle to be dealt with--he quickly spun around in an attempt to knock the Wielder off his feet, and he caught Sora as he quick-ran...or tried to.

He struggled not to laugh as Sora fell flat on the ground, face-down. "No fair!" he yelled, muffled by the floor.

"Nothing's fair in this world, kiddo," Lexaeus said flatly, swinging his tomahawk upwards in preparation of crushing the brunette's head to the floor. Unsurprisingly once again, his weapon crushed empty floor--Sora had rolled out of the way at the last minute. The boy was as fast as Larxene, he surmised. Maybe faster. Hm. Why worry about that, Vexen was already planning to test that theory out, anyway.

Not going to Vexen...he just knew number Four was a very, very happy Somebody.

He looked up just in time to see Sora quick-run to the other side of the gym (his very own--muscles like his weren't obtained with only the proper diet; exercise was in order) and narrow his eyes. The infamous Dark Keyblade coalesced into his non-Heartless hand. Smiling, Lexaeus charged.

"Hiyaa!" Sora shouted, half-laughing as he rushed across the gym to meet number Five. Metal on metal clashed, and the sound resonated throughout the gym.

"Finally, you've stepped up offense," he happily said, smiling wider. This was getting to be a worthy challenge--a true sparring session, for the boy had seemed to regain most of his focus. "That's the Keyblade Master I know."

"C'mon Lex!" Sora huffed, charging at him once again. Lexaeus set loose a blow that would kill a Somebody instantly, knowing that the Wielder would easily dodge it.

Maybe he shouldn't have estimated so hastily, because his tomahawk's blade was getting dangerously close to the Wielder's chest... oh hell no. But he couldn't do anything--Lexaeus lets momentum do the most of his work, and this time, even if he doesn't want it to.

Sora dodged at the very last possible moment, spinning around and backing out awkwardly. Huh?

"Sora? You okay?" he asked, standing still with tomahawk ready to attack in an instant. Maybe the brunette was just feinting.

From the looks of it, the Wielder was having some epic battle with his mind. He dropped down to his knees, and the Dark Keyblade faded away. Was it just him, or were stands of darkness...rising from the boy?

Slowly, Lexaeus stepped closer to him. He was trembling visibly and holding his head in his hands, bowed down.

"W-wielder?" he ventured nervously, and reached out a gloved hand, his other hand clutching his weapon tightly, just in case Sora decided to attack. His feinting skills were brilliant.

Sora jerked his head up to look at him, and he instantly dropped his gaze. In the brief moment his face was shown, only one emotion was prominent, in Lexaeus' point of view. Anguish. He quickly withdrew his hand, and started backing away.

Good thing, for as he took his first step backward, Sora looked up once more.

"Lexaeus, RUN!" he screamed.

His eyelid twitched, wondering what the heck did the Wielder mean by that--and then he had the answer.

In no less that ten seconds, black had rapidly spread across Sora's face, and his sky-blue eye swirled and turned yellow. Both hands became claws, and strands of darkness trailed from his fingers. It seemed like a pitch-black shadow had fallen over the Wielder, and he snarled in a very feral way.

Lexaeus' breath rushed out of him in one great whoosh--this was Sora's complete Heartless form, legendary for near-invulnerability and inhuman reflexes.

Antiform.

He backed away...

"Uh uh!" Antiform screeched, cracking his knuckles and flashing disturbingly sharp nails. "You're mine!" With that, he got down on all fours, and attacked.

Now, Lexaeus had never run away before in his existence, and he wasn't about to do so right now. After all, how strong could this Antiform be? He was a Heartless, and he had slain tens of thousands of the vile creatures before. What made him different?

Snorting, he charged and met Antiform head-on, tomahawk slicing right through black arm, leaving a gaping hole from which blood dripped in copious amounts. The Heartless didn't even flinch, only stared at his arm in interest, licking his lips as he did.

"Lexy, Lexy..." he hissed, grinning in that disturbing I-want-to-drink-your-blood way once again, "Darkness can't fight darkness, right...?"

He watched in horror as the wound knit together by itself--a few seconds, and the ebony skin was unbroken once more. Darkness rose once more around Antiform, and Lexaeus countered with an earth-shaking elemental spell (consisting of a few fancy twirls with his tomahawk and slamming the metal into the marble floor). His jaw went slack as Antiform nimbly flipped over and clung to a nearby pillar.

Gritting his teeth, he swung his tomahawk over his shoulder and pounded his way to said pillar...where said Heartless was nowhere to be seen.

"Why you little--"

He felt the ripple of air, and looked up too late--he had only enough time to see Antiform's drawn claws hurtling towards him.

Everything went black.

---------------------

Physics.

Roxas never liked Lifestream Physics (or any other subject that involved large amounts of numbers, for that matter), and he suspected that Lifestream Physics didn't like him, either.

"Pfft," he huffed, and stomped his foot. A pair of girls beside him blushed furiously. Apparently, they thought that a seventeen-year old boy stomping his foot in a very immature way was cute. He dearly wished Naminé was here--she was his official immaturity gauge. However, after the...overdose of hormones the day before, the blonde girl had decided it would be much, much more beneficial to the two of them if they kept away from each other for awhile. The blonde had opted to hang out with other girls, and he with the other, normal, boys. Actually, it felt weird--he had been so used to Naminé being there, her absence made him feel odd.

Eheheh...he laughed silently as Naminé struggled to shoo away yet another guy with yet another cheesy pick-up line. Apparently, she had trouble fending off her fanboys. Ooops--there she was, shooting him another death glare. He smiled calmly back.

Well, back to the Physics thing. They had assumed the professor was late, as usual, when some guy stuck his head into their classroom's door and told the whole class to follow him. Uh? Maybe they were going to change teachers or something? So here they were, trudging along the cheerless corridors of Destiny Academy.

He abruptly bumped into the girl (narrowly missing the spear she had strapped to her back) in front of him, and was immediately squished by the girl behind. The walking had stopped, and...why were girls surrounding him? Gah!

So blame it on Sora's shard of heart--he had caught up on a year of maturing. Naminé too--she looked even hotter than ever, but Roxas won't dare say it in her face; he'd get a very sore handprint on his cheek if he did. Pfft. There was another guy pestering her. If only he could draw out both Keyblades (but he can't, because (a) he does not use the Keyblade here, and (b) the only time weapons were allowed to be drawn was in Battle Classes, and Lifestream Physics did not fall under that category), he'd make sure that guy never spoke to any girl in his entire life again.

Pfft. Another one--Xemnas had forbidden him to show more ability than expected of a sixteen-year-old; he wasn't allowed to use his Keyblades here in the Academy. That meant no summoned Slayers, no running up on insanely tall buildings, no cool stunts involving him and large amounts of Heartless (not that the Academy actually allowed students to fight Heartless and-slash-or Nobodies--they deemed it too dangerous), and no seriously wicked moves with his replacement double swords (which, incidentally, still had the same color scheme as his Keyblades). Oh come on...these people didn't believe in Organization XIII! Hello? Number Thirteen is right here!

Pfft once more--stupid guy, hitting on Naminé like that.

Okay, Roxas, ignore that, she can take care of himself. Breathe in, breath out, breathe in, stomp, breathe out, glare. Breathe in, stomp, glare, breathe out.

He stomped into the classroom they had been directed to--and felt the eyes of the girl population inside on the back of his head. Roxas sighed in relief when he saw a familiar face. Two, actually.

Kairi was looking down at Riku, who was seated on the floor next to her chair and leaning slightly on her leg. They were conversing rather animatedly, and the redhead was absentmindedly twirling a lock of platinum hair around her fingers (probably not noticing the glares girls were shooting at her)...and the Wielder very much looked like he was enjoying it.

Cripes, if Sora saw this now--Roxas would rather not think about that.

Sighing, he threaded his way through the already-present crowd of people, and miraculously spotted a clear area of floor around Riku. Agh. People gave Riku his space; that he knew.

"No idea, we were about to have Physics III when--"

"--some wiseguy calls us out of the classroom and tells us to follow him, right?" he said loudly, grinning as they turned their attention to him. He twitched slightly at the way Kairi was eyeing him, and preoccupied himself with placing his bag in a strategic way such that, if Naminé decided to sit next to him (which she hoped she would), there would be a space reserved for her. And he did this without looking too obvious. Hopefully.

"You guys too? Where's Naminé?" Kairi asked, tilting her head curiously (in which Riku intertwined her free hand's fingers in his own, but the girl didn't seem to notice) "And...what happened to you?"

"What do you mean, what happened to me?" he said in his best nonchalant voice. He couldn't exactly tell Kairi "Oh yeah, I look older because I have a piece of Sora's heart. And he committed suicide over the weekend, and gave us hearts. How was your weekend, then?"

"Don't be stupid--"she started saying, and she trailed off, staring at a fast-approaching Naminé. Hah. She was fending off the same guy again. Maybe a non-lethal encounter (or a lethal one, he didn't really care) would snap said guy out of his fixation with the girl.

"No, I won't go out with you, no way," she huffed, making her way towards them. Roxas once more struggled to contain his laughter.

"If I may ask, what happened to you two?" Riku voiced out, alternating his curious gaze between them. "You look...different. Older. Uhm. I think I'm going crazy."

He exchanged an I'm-making-this-up-as-I-go-along-so-play-along-with-it glance with Naminé. "Looks like it was a success, Nam."

The blonde girl blinked rapidly for a moment before nodding her head. "Over the weekend we decided to...well," she glanced at him nervously. "improve how we...ehem, look."

The two had probably noticed the year that they had caught up on, but couldn'y really put their finger on what it was that happened to them, since getting older by a year overnight was something that didn't happen to normal people. Roxas bit his lip; he could just tell Kairi and Riku that their best buddy had just killed himself, but that would be treason to King Mickey's court, for the King had forbidden Organization XIII to tell anyone about Sora.

Sometimes, he wondered what made King Mickey the King, because he sure wasn't exhibiting any kingly characteristics.

"No duh," Kairi was laughing softly.

Okay, time to throw them off track. He and Naminé had agreed on this earlier--no matter how hard it was on their newly-acquired hearts--they had to conceal his Nobody's (phoo--that was one) condition. He pretended to be searching for the brunette (although he knew he was probably getting lectured by Lexaeus on the wonders of soy milk), and narrowed his eyes. "I thought Sora had the same schedule as this, Kairi," he said loudly, turning back to the redhead, "but we haven't seen him since this morning...did he come to school?"

He blinked, then dropped his gaze. If there was a murderous gaze, then Kairi had it on her face right now, her grip tightening painfully aroun Riku's hand. The platinum-haired Wielder's mouth twitched.

"He..." he started nervously,"he started journeying again, after the Knighting."

Naminé exchanged a fleeting glance with Roxas, and started twiddling her thumbs, trying her best to look scandalized. "That's a bit rude; he didn't even say goodbye to me and Roxas..."

"He didn't say goodbye to us either," Kairi suddenly snapped, voice dripping with contempt. "King Mickey was the one who told us that he just went on."

"Oh." Roxas was unable to say anything else more coherent. The urge to put a certain mouse to intensive questioning was getting a little harder to bear. Cripes...so the King covered it up...at Sora's expense. Now the two probably hated him more than ever. Roxas hoped his Nobody never learned of this; if he did, he'd probably kill the King on the spot.

No matter how justified it was, it was certainly a bad thing.

"Kairi, stop frowning," Riku said suddenly, nudging Kairi's knee. She twitched, and blushed. Riku nudged her again. She bit back a giggle--and so commenced a game of tickle-Kai-and-see-whether-she-gets-mad-with-me-or-not.

"Hey! Nice one, Riku!" he said interestedly, and then he turned to the blonde girl beside him, blue eyes wide with the puppy-eyes look. "How about I try it on you, Naminé?"

Which meted him a book bag on the head.

"Serves you right, Roxie," she pouted, arms folded and eyes crinkling mischieviously.

Roxie was such a girly name--argh, and Naminé knew he hated it. Gritting his teeth, he pouted back. "It's Roxas."

Naminé smiled even wider, and knelt closer to him. "Roxiiee--"

"Shut it, Nam!" he half-yelled. "And give me space! I thought you were the one who wanted us to keep away from each other! Go find a boyfriend or something!"

Her blue eyes widened slightly. He cringed; if Naminé actually found a boyfriend...well, he won't be too happy with it. Naminé was his--no matter what everyone said about borrowed emotions and existing Others.

"I don't need a boyfriend," she said coolly in a slightly miffed voice, lips curving down into a frown.

"Pfft! Hello? And this comes from the girl who almost killed because of pretty boy over here!" He snapped in a low voice, jabbing a thumb towards Riku (who, thank heavens, was a bit preoccupied with Kairi right now).

Her eyes narrowed. "What? You jealous?"

Perfect bulls-eye!

Roxas spluttered, blushing furiously. "Na--"

"Alcaia, Dalmasca, pay attention," a male voice rang through the room, overpowering the student's noise easily.

He blinked, and spluttered even more. HUH? What the hell was Zexion doing here? Roxas stole a glance out of the corner of his eye--Naminé seemed to have frozen in place, her cerulean eyes glued on the blue-haired number Six in front of them. He then turned his attention on Riku--

Did Zexion have a death wish? Well, Riku was the one who killed (not actually killed, but made him fall into ruin or something--Zexion never talked about it) him in Oblivion long ago! The Wielder's fingers twitched, and for a split second, Roxas thought he'd summon his Way to the Dawn Keyblade.

And it hit him--Riku couldn't.

Aside from the fact that attacking a teacher unbidden would land him detention for the next month, the act would open a floodgate of questions; students didn't usually attack their professors (except for Field Battles). Kairi would inevitably know that Zexion was number Six of the same Organization who Sora killed...and things would go downhill from there.

The King would probably kill them if the seventh Princess of Heart caught wind of what really happened.

"Your Lifestream Physics classes have been reshuffled; Physics II and III shall be merged. All who will be called, please go to room 311. The rest, stay." Zexion tried and failed to sweep his long bangs out of his face--which were on the right side. He then rattled off a list of names, in which Roxas tried to think of why Six was here.

He then noticed that none of them--him, Naminé, Kairi, and Riku--were called.

Cripes...Zexion was doing recon. If the Superior wasn't so worked up over his glittery hair gel (him and Axel were scheduled for a grueling weapon check in Assault of the Dreadnought later; Roxas hated the stupid laser defenses of the Castle That Never Was), he'd probably bring it up. Okay. He will bring it up.

"Dalmasca, Hikari, Alcaia, get off the floor and onto a seat," the Cloaked Schemer snapped, shutting his record book shut. Riku's eyelid was twitching violently as he slid into a chair next to Kairi, and Naminé immediately took the vacated seaton Kairi's other side. Sighing, Roxas resigned himself to sitting next to Riku.

"Roxas," the Wielder said almost immediately, "what the hell is Zexion doing here?" he said with as much anger as he could put while speaking in a lowered voice. Which, Roxas had to say, was quite a lot.

"No idea," he whispered back, careful not to let Kairi hear, "but don't you dare attack him outright."

He growled. "I know I can't, don't rub it in."

Zexion started calling attendance. Riku grimaced, and Roxas had to jab him in the ribs to make him raise his hand. Pfft. He almost laughed when he raised his own hand. Naminé blinked twice before raising hers. Kairi looked very much bewildered as she raised her own hand.

However, the rest of the class were in a very different mood--Zexion would have a lot more fangirls after this recon.

"You are merged years II and III; this is class 2A, remember that," he said flatly, writing on the blackboard. "I am Zexion Alcaia," he paused slightly and his eyes flickered in Riku's direction, "and I shall be your Lifestream Physics professor for the rest of this term. And please, don't be so quiet, I know it's not normal for you guys to be this quiet."

"Cripes, and he used my name!" Riku said angrily, eyes narrowing.

"Oh great, I get to live with my Physics teach..." he groaned. And he was considering asking the blue-haired scientist to tutor him--hey, he wasn't bugging Naminé to teach him Physics just for fun, he really needed help.

"Aggh, I swear, right after this class--"

"Alcaia, Hikari, detention."

They blinked. Riku groaned. However, Roxas was overjoyed--weapon check was done every month, and today was the scheduled day--if he got detention later, the Superior won't be able to make him go. Haha. Maybe he should go for double detention to make sure. Grinning, he leant back, ignoring Riku's bewildered expression. "Okay, Professor Zexy," he snickered, knowing that Zexion tried to choke every Organization member who dared call him that.

"Hikari, double detention then," Zexion frowned.

Yeah! Sitting in a room doing nothing for two hours was infinitely better than piloting a Gummi Ship through hazardous terrain, where around every corner death might be waiting to pounce.

However, he had not expected Zexion's next action--he actually smiled. "Tomorrow."

Naminé burst into laughter.

Gah! Zexion must've known! "B-but!" he managed to splutter, trying to salvage the dignity he had left. He wished Naminé would stop laughing--oh, the girl would get it from him later, he's swearing on that. After all, they were roommates.

"You too, Naminé," he called out. Roxas grinned at the blonde's shocked expression, and grinned even wider at the scowl she sent him. He buried his face in his arms, trying to keep in his laughter. Ha. Ha. Ha. She definitely deserved that.

"Kairi Dalmasca. Double detention with them," he heard Zexion call out once more. So...he was carrying over recon until tomorrow. Or was his teaching position (at this Roxas shivered) permanent?

"Professor!" Kairi exclaimed.

"Class, next time, don't imitate them. Listen to me when I am teaching. You two Dalmascas, Alcaia, Hikari, don't forget," Smiling once again, he turned back to the blackboard. "I'm still finding the most horrible teacher you have to be on duty tomorrow."

Roxas stared. NO. He won't dare. Gah--if Zexion was his training partner, he'd try his best to mortally injure the Cloaked Schemer.

"Okay, let's get started. Physics is not the easiest subject on the planet, but if you understand the basics, you'd understand the complexities. Where did you guys stop last time..."

He struggled not to groan.

------------------------

"243, 245, 247, 249--" Larxene quick-ran down the hallway, ignoring the stares she was getting (but not the wolf whistles--those were a few kunais well spent). She was late. Stupid Academy with huge stupid hallways. If she could portal, she'd actually like this place, but no...

Healing Arts. She, a sadist, was teaching Healing Arts. And she agreed.

That scared her.

She missed Zexion--number Six had an earlier class than her.

Okay, the missing Zexion part scared her even more.

"251!" She said happily, skidding to a stop in front of a classroom door and hurriedly walking inside. Coolly, she threw kunais into the wall behind the students who dared to whistle--which effectively silenced them.

Her eyes scanned the room, and her eyes fell on a platinum-haired boy. So...this was the infamous Riku, the Wielder who managed to defeat Roxas. Hm. She'd like a duel with him someday.

Larxene cleared her throat, and recited the speech she had gone over minutes earlier. "I am your new Healing Arts professor, Larxene Kisaragi. I'll be with you until the end of this term. And for those who ask, I am twenty-one years old, and yes, I am the youngest teacher in this school. I fight with kunais and lightning spells, for those who'd like a duel, see me after class. I am also a level seven White Mage, a level short of a sorceress. Questions?"

None. Or maybe nobody dared to ask. That was good.

Well, it all was true, except for her surname. She was the new Healing Arts professor, she was supposed to teach until the end of term, she was twenty-one, when the years had caught up with her (the shard of heart was something of a wonder), and she was the youngest teacher in the school.

Oh. She blinked. Arlene was the level seven White Mage, not her. This reverting business was going too fast for her liking.

"No questions? None?" She said loudly. She picked up a piece of chalk, and prepared to teach something she knew by heart (hey, she had one now!). "Let's get started then. Topic's about Intermediate Potion Mixing, and--Axel, I'm fine, go teach your own class,"

Number Eight happened to be in front of her classroom door, and happened to be looking at her. Pssh. That was the fifth time he had accidentally checked up on her, and counting. Really, she appreciated him looking out for her (well, more than appreciated--him and Marluxia were the only people she was clinging to in fear that she might completely revert), but she was the Savage Nymph, number Twelve of the Organization! She could take care of herself, thank you very much.

Axel gave a cheery wave, and flashed her a smile, before walking on.

Gah. So Arlene loved Ienzo, which made her love Zexion, but Larxene really loved--Okay, moving on.

"Potion Mixing is something of an art form--"

Pfft. She could never get used to this warm and fuzzy feeling they called love.

Warm? It made her think of someone else...

------------------------

"Uh, excuse me?" A loud voice interrupted Prof. Riddel Viper's lecture. Hm. Not that Naminé was listening; she was too busy studying for the next subject. Stupid Roxas. If she failed the 'surprise' pop quiz in Lifestream Biology next period, she'll never let him hear the end of it.

"Yes?" Miss Riddel's voice said.

"I'm one of the new professors--Axel Fukiwara."

Naminé froze, and forced herself to look up. The fiery redhead was standing at the classroom's doorway, holding out a slip of pink paper for the sapphire-haired professor to see. Huh? An excuse slip?

Okay...this is weird. Axel? Teaching? As far as she knew, teaching required a whole lot of patience, and that was something the pyro was in serious need of.

"Dalmasca?" Miss Riddel suddenly spoke. "Your guardian has called for you-- Professor Fukiwara will escort you out."

She figured the best reaction would be to nod. What guardian? She had no guardians...Axel definitely had something up his sleeve. Frowning, she gathered her things, slung her bag over her shoulder (ignoring the stare of the guy behind her), and made her way, huffing, to the front of the class.

"Thanks, Miss Riddel," Axel chirped, before herding Naminé out of the classroom...and into a waiting portal.

"Axel! Are you insane?" she hissed, pulling herself free of his grasp. "A portal! In full view!"

"Of who?" he asked, folding his arms bemusedly.

She blinked. The corridor was deserted. No matter. "But still! What if someone saw?"

"Nobody saw--"

"Oh shut up you two."

Roxas was leaning on the pillar opposite the classroom, expression frustrated. "Can we just go already?"

"What is this about?" She asked fiercely, tossing her head, eyelid twitching. She felt Roxas' hands on her shoulders as he steered her into the portal. Pfft. Surprising herself (and probably Roxas too) she let his hands remain there. Just this once. Hm.

Axel's face fell. "Lex got attacked--Saïx found him half-dead..."

"Attacked?" she echoed. What in the world had the power to leave Lexaeus, one of the strongest members of the Organization, half-dead?

Or rather--she shivered involuntarily--who?

Roxas' hands suddenly whipped off from her shoulders, and he sprinted past her into the Hall of Empty Melodies, Keyblades in hand. "Axel! Why didn't you call me sooner?"

"Huh?" Axel asked, bewildered. He let the portal vanish as soon as they stepped on the marble of the Castle That Never Was. "What do you mean...?"

"Slayers! Attack!" Roxas screamed, and Naminé heard the bone-chilling sound of a Heartless scream. She instinctively dropped to her knees and dodge-rolled to the side--and she caught a glimpse of Slayers being thrown into the adjacent pillars like rag dolls.

Antiform. Sora had reverted completely. Sickly yellow eyes peered from beneath ebony tresses, and sharp claws sparkled in Kingdom Heart's light.

Axel summoned his chakrams, and prepared to throw them.

"AXEL! NO!" Roxas yelled, panting from the effort as the Slayers he summoned Faded. "SORA! BREAK THROUGH!"

Antiform, at this point in time, was advancing towards her--his feral grin suddenly faded, and he staggered.

"Sora..." she whimpered. It truly was a terrifying sight, to see such darkness concentrated in only one being. Sora's light and dark sides were the extremes--he was the protector of the realm of light, and at the same time, he was the most powerful of all Heartless. So that made Roxas the most powerful of Nobodies--

"N-Naminé--" Antiform hissed, falling to his knees. She watched, paralyzed, as the darkness faded away from Sora's right half. The brunette crumpled to the floor, strength spent.

"Sora!" she cried out, leaning forward, but Roxas' arms held her back.

Axel clucked his tongue, and shook his head, summoning a portal. "Too dangerous. Let's get him to the infirmary, then."

-----------------------

Roxas had two very bad habits.

He liked to stomp his foot whenever he felt frustrated.

He liked to furrow his eyebrows and scowl when he felt mad.

Both habits made him look like an immature five-year-old.

"Stop scowling," Naminé whispered to him, patting his arm. Since she had no seat in the meeting hall, she had opted to sit beside him. That was actually a good thing, well, to Roxas, it was.

"Pfft," he grunted back.

They had taken his Nobody to the infirmary after taking him down (Sora wasn't too pleased about how Roxas had taken him down--what was there to complain about? Like the brunette could feel pain, anyway), where he was quite thoroughly healed by Larxene (who had already healed Lexaeus earlier--number Five was sound asleep in the infirmary itself).

Sora, apparently, had an irresistable craving for blood--judging from the blood lost by Lexaeus, it was pretty bad.

His eyelid twitched; Larxene had suggested Sora buy blood to alleviate the craving. Pssh. Roxas didn't even know the Nobody Black Market selled blood (tetra-packed and in different flavors, no less)...he had only gone far enough into the Black Market to get a hold of herbicides for those pesky carnivorous vines of Marluxia's.

The Superior had called an impromptu meeting--all very well, because Naminé had a biology quiz next period, and she swore she'd never talk to him again if she flunked said quiz...he'd been bugging her all night yesterday.

"I said, stop scowling," Naminé scowled, probably not realizing she was doing so.

"I call this meeting to order."

The Superior had portalled in, flipping his phone shut as he did.

"This shall be short, so I advise you all to listen carefully. Demyx--make a sound, and you'll do the weapon check."

The mullet-haired number Nine gulped visibly, and he nodded quite enthusiastically.

"It had come to my attention that we have a problem...In sacrificing his heart, Sora had lost control over his Antiform--that is what we have presumed. But in truth, this problem had started two years ago," he took a deep breath. "The Keyblade Master's Antiform came to be only when he first released his heart."

"In Hollow Bastion," Roxas said sullenly.

"Correct."

He bit his lip. What was the Superior trying to say?

"Henceforth, Roxas came to be. When he remerged with Sora, Antiform had been taken under control once again, but he occasionally broke loose. Now that you, Roxas, are completely unmerged with the Wielder, Antiform runs free--"

"He does not!" Axel interjected. "Roxas can keep him under control!"

Xemnas frowned. "Exactly."

"There lies the problem," Vexen sighed, whipping out his black Sharpie once again, scribbling on the arms of his seat.

"What do you mean--"

"You, Roxas, is essentially the one who controls Antiform. That was your purpose in Sora's existence. He was never supposed to lose you--Currently, the only way to get rid of Antiform without getting rid of Sora himself is..." Xemnas trailed off, lacing his fingers together.

"...I have to remerge with him." Roxas stated. It was no longer a question, to him. To his surprise, Xemnas shook his head.

"Completely reintegrate with Sora." He said clearly. "You shall no longer exist, not as a voice in his head, not as a silent observer. You'll just be...gone."

Naminé found his hand, and held it tightly, burying her face in his shoulder, a muffled 'no' reaching his ears.

"That goes the same for you, Naminé," he said. The blonde recoiled as if physically struck, and Roxas involuntarily shot Xemnas a glare.

"What do we care about the Princess, anyway?" an exasperated Larxene asked, one leg over the armrest of her chair as she looked sideways at Xemnas. "She's a Princess of Heart, and she doesn't have darkness to begin with."

"Well, she does now, how could she have shattered the Wielder's heart so if she didn't?"

"Pssh," Larxene sighed.

"Light can't exist without darkness, and vice versa," Zexion said aloud, ignoring the pointed stares they were all giving him. "Nobody can be completely light, or completely dark."

"Yes...Kairi's Antiform, if released, is nearly as powerful as Sora's...we cannot afford that," he addressed Naminé. "You, without even realizing it, was the control over this Antiform--"

"Kairi doesn't have an Antiform!" Roxas suddenly yelled, making Naminé flinch.

"The King has ways of knowing," the Superior's eyes narrowed. "Do you not think Kairi should be as...concerned about Sora's being? She has moved on rather quickly, hasn't she?"

Roxas blinked. He was right. It was unnatural for someone, even in Kairi's position, to break a heart so mercilessly.

"So there lies the problem...Roxas, Naminé," his expression softened visibly, "You were truly never supposed to exist...but we must find a way to rectify this situation."

"So I am putting you all on a mission--to find a way to restore Roxas' and Naminé's control, short of making reintegrate with their living Others. We need the Keyblade Master to gain our own hearts, and for that, we cannot have Antiform interfere."

"Meeting adjourned."

Muttering, murmuring, whispering (and in Demyx's case, trembling), Organization XIII portalled out, save for him.

Naminé had started crying softly into his shoulder, and Roxas put his arms around her shaking shoulders, Xemnas' words echoing in his head.

"You were truly never supposed to exist."

-------------------------

"Sora?"

Naminé stared. After that meeting (it left a sour taste in her throat, and a large patch of tears on Roxas' uniform), she had decided to catch some fresh air--but seeing that it was raining once again here in the World That Never Was, it was highly unlikely she could. No matter. All she wanted was an excuse to get out of the Castle; everything there seemed to remind her that she was not supposed to exist, her living Other needed her control.

So here she was. She intended to tell the Wielder that it wasn't Kairi who was acting so bitter, it was her Antiform that pushed her through.

The brunette, she found, was sitting on one of the benches that littered Fragment's Crossing, a box of those blood-packs (in paopu flavor, no less) sitting beside him, and one opened and already empty pack beside that. Sora was staring up into the night sky, getting quite soaked. From her perspective she could only see his Nobody side--he almost looked the Sora she knew, the Sora who saved her.

He blinked and settled his gaze on her. She fought the instinct to flinch.

"Jeez, Naminé, you seriously should get something not in white," he said hoarsely, smirking.

She forced a laugh, although she didn't find the comment funny in the least. "Uhm...aren't you going back to the Castle?"

"What?" he asked interestedly, leaning back. "Someone looking for me up there?"

"N-no... but Sora, you're soaking wet!" she gestured wildly, as much as her white umbrella would allow her to do so without getting wet. "At least you should borrow one of Roxas' coats if you want to go out in the rain."

Wrong thing to say. Sora's eyes instantly narrowed. "No," he growled.

Pfft. As far as she knew, Nobodies weren't immune to sickness (as exemplified by the time Axel came down with a very violent cold one memorable month ago). "But--aren't you cold? You'll get sick!"

He locked eyes with her, and this time, she couldn't help but flinch. "I'm not cold. I can't feel how warm or cold it is, Naminé. I lost that when I woke up today," he said flatly.

"Oh."

"And I won't mind getting sick...I supposed I'll be happy, at least I can still feel something--"

She bit her lip. No matter how Sora hid under an emotionless facade, she knew he was suffering. She herself--she wouldn't know what she would do if she woke up one morning immune to temperature. It was a horrible thought, it was like losing your connection to your surroundings.

A very uncomfortable pause.

"Well, at some point, you have to stop your angsting streak..." she swallowed nervously. "Lexaeus should be up and cooking soon enough, and it's, I think, Salad Night..."

He seemed to consider this, and he tilted his head thoughtfully. "I guess..."

Okay. Naminé steeled herself; this was the moment where she would say everything about Kairi. Never mind if Sora would try to kill her after. She could risk that. "So--"

"Now go away, Naminé."

Her words died in her throat as she stared unbelievingly at him. "What?"

She felt pain shoot through her shard of heart as he rolled his eyes. "Didn't you hear me? Go away and leave me alone, witch."

Witch?

She fought the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. Witch? She hadn't been called that ever since Castle Oblivion, and she intended it stay that way; the name held a lot of painful memories--most of which concerned the boy who had just called her that. "You need help, Sora," she said in a miraculously even voice.

"I've told you once, and I'm telling you again. I. Don't. Need. Your. Help," he muttered, taking to examining his nails as if his salvation was of no importance. "Leave me alone, witch."

He didn't have to repeat that! She was unable to stop--a solitary tear traced its path down her cheek. "I have a name, you know."

"I know, witch," he laughed, lacing his fingers behind his head.

She blinked painfully. Where was the real Sora--the one who saved them all? "Sora...you've changed."

Sora laughed even louder at this; a very chilling sound. "We've got a bright one here! Go to the top of the class, Nam!"

"You don't have to be like this, Sora. We can help you," she said evenly, fighting the urge to break down right then and there. She just wanted to help, not get insulted! But Naminé was a stubborn girl, and she did not give up easily. "We can help you cope; and we'll find a way to bring you back, we'll find a way, they're all helping--"

"You can't."

"Sora--"

"Sora's dead--stop asking for him," he growled, staring once more straight at her. She took a step back.

"He was shattered along with his heart one all Hallow's eve ago--He died back then. He's not coming back, you're not going to get back Mr. Happy Go Lucky just like that." Sora said, snapping his fingers.

Pssh. "Then who am I talking to now?"

"A fallen Keyblade Master," he said in a voice full of bitterness Naminé had never heard before. "Betrayed by someone whom he placed his trust in, and paid for it with his existence and his heart. A freak--a half Heartless, half Nobody, a danger to everyone around him. One who once protected the realm of light, but is now shunned by it. A Wielder who loved and lost..."

Now he wept, and Naminé was shocked to see that his Heartless eye gave out tears of blood.

Composing herself, she twirled her umbrella in a very casual way. "We can help you if you'd just let us."

"No. I don't need your pity or mercy, Naminé. Tell the others that too."

She groaned. Stupid Wielder stubborness. Anyway, if she stayed here any longer than was absolutely necessary, she might just get angry enough to set the Twilight Thorn on Sora's heels. "I just might give up..."

"Good for you."

She sighed once again. Sora was gone--only his shell, his scarred and world-weary shell, remained. Nothing, not even her explanation for Kairi's hostility, would come through the wall he had put around himself. She hoped that one of them would find out the way to control Antiform, preferably, right now, becuase Sora was nearing the point of no return. "...come up soon."

"Leave now, witch."

Not wanting to dignify him with an outburst, she managed to give him a feeble smile before spinning on her heels and walking away, leaving the broken Keyblade Master in the rain.

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Sorry sorry for the delay guys!

Review replies...not now, I have a class in ten minutes...haha procrastination is nobody's best friend. Make it up to you in the next chapter. IF I type a next chapter.

REVIEW PLEASE. Reviews are the only ones that make me go on typing this thing. If you don't review...I don't get inspired to type...and no next chapter. Waaah.

No next chapter quotes, they shall spoil the story.

Ja ne!